Rams' Long attacks familiar rehab route

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams left tackle Jake Long's season ended in Week 16 last season when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It was the third consecutive year that Long's season ended prematurely because of an injury. He has grown accustomed to offseason rehab.

This year was different, he said this week during OTAs where he is participating in walkthroughs, some individual work, and conditioning on the sideline.

His ACL surgery was delayed until mid-January waiting for the MCL to heal on its own. Since the surgery, it has now been 22 weeks of grinding virtually every day to get back on the field as soon as possible.

"It's definitely the toughest (rehab)," Long said. "I know the routine of what it takes to get back, and the rehab process and all that stuff. I'm used to it probably a little too much. You're gonna have the ups and downs.

"An ACL is not a joke. And one of the longest to come back from. I've just put my head down and put my nose to the grindstone and really wanted to work hard and get back."

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said Long should be ready and cleared for contact halfway through training camp with the obvious intent to be ready for the Sept. 7 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.

"He's doing some individual stuff, a lot of stuff inside that you don't see, and then he's able to participate in the walk-through. So, he's still getting the football, the assignment things," Fisher said. "He's having the ability to line up (with left guard) Greg (Robinson) and communicate in walk-through. He'll be ready to go, I'm sure."

"Yeah, Week 1's the goal, and that's what we're looking at right now," Long said. "Every week it's getting stronger. I'm doing more and more on the field. I'm doing position-specific stuff. Every single week, we try to introduce something more, and I just get more strength. I get smoother at my pass sets and coming off the ball. I'm really excited and happy with how I'm progressing."

Long said he was helped by the fact that quarterback Sam Bradford, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 7, was going through the same rehab.

"He was a couple months ahead of me, so I could see what I had in store for me," he said. "We were here for five, six hours a day, every day, working hard. And pushing each other. It was kinda nice having another guy there with you," Long said.

Long was also asked about Robinson, the second overall pick in the draft who played left tackle at Auburn but will begin his NFL career at guard.

"I tell you what, I'm excited to have him on our team," Long said. "He's young, he's athletic. He can move guys. And when he gets locked up with them, they're shut down. Any pointers I can give him, I do. Helping him out with plays and being there for whatever questions he has. I've tried to be there for him. And I think we've gotten along well."